Process for burning gaseous fuel.



G. HARDENG. lRooEssl-"o BURNING QASBOUS F UBL.

E'PLIUATION FILED MAY 2, 1912.

Patented July 22, 1913K i e ramena onirica L! ai CHARLES KNOX HARDlNG, D? CHICAGO, ILLINOS.

PROCES FOR BURN-ING GASEQUS FUEL.

To all 'ui/mmf 'it may concern,

Be it known that l, (lnanLns Knox HARD- ino, a citizen of the United States, and a resident otlVoodlawn, kcity of Chicago, county of Cook, and Staterot Illinois, have invented 'certain neu1 and useful Improvements in Processes for Burning Gaseous Fuel.

My invention relates generally to-thc production oi heat by the combustion of a mix- 'ture oi combustible gases and air, especially to the production of a more rapid or intensified combustionthan can be produced with the ordinary atmospheric burner or Bumsen flame.

Great ditliculty has heretofore been encountered in maintaining a flame with the thein'etically most desirable mixture of gas and air, because such a mixture is explosive and thc explosion isv rapidly propagated back through lthe mixture from the point of ignition, and it the velocity of tlow of the mixture is sullicient to overcome this the llame of burning gas is carried away and blown out.

A process of burningr an explosive nuxture has been discovered, based on the fact that the rate of propagation of the back igniting wave was much less in a cold mixture. so that the cold explosive mixture could be passed at a high yelocity into a highly heated zone where its intlammability would be increased and its velocity reduced so that a flame could be maintained at this zone.

The object of my invention is to convert chemical energy of gaseous fuel into radiant energy by meansot a solid structure which chemically reacts in the oxidization of the gaseous mixture to produce tlamelessi catalytic colnoustion, Isuch solid structure thus receiving and radiatin 5 the heat liberated and enables a higher lieat intensity to be utilized and applied than 'would be the case where the combustion or oxidization tool; place between the gaseous elements themselves in the forni of llame.

I have discovered that a comparatively inexpensive catalytic structure can be made composed principally of the oxids otl the ra- (dio active elements thorium and uranium that will produce and maintain lameless Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 2, 1912.

Patented July 232, NH3.'

Serial No. 694,761. i

flowing combustible mixture, so that said mixture will have its volume increased and its density reduced in such a way as to great-ly increase the kinetic energy of the flowing mixture. l

As the intensity oft temperature depends upon the velocity at which the mixture is supplied to the combustion surface. with tlameless combustion, there is no objection to employing the highest velocities it is possible to produce.

My process also permits considerable heat and .kinetic energy to be obtained from a preliminary mixture containing only a portion of the necessary air for complete combustion and permits the addition subsequently of furtherouantities of air for the complete combustion of the mixture.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a form of apparatus which may be employed in 4carrying out my improved process.

The catalytic structures l and 2 shown in the drawings may be made of refractory material platinized or treated with any suitable catalytic material such as described in my United States Patents No. 803,534, Get. 31, 1905 and No. 969,368 sept. o', i910.

The ligure shows a section througlrmy improved burner as applied to a inutile iurnace.

The drawingsY illustrate the diverging tubular lining l of catalytic material carried by the burner 'in position to' be acted on and heated `by the gaseous nixture passing through the burner. 'The furnace as shown is provided with the cylinder f2 of catalytic i material which surrounds the inutile. ln operation the rapidly flowing stream of hot gaseous mixture ascends from the top ot the catalytic lining l without being inflamed. and passes through the converging opening 3 together with an additional quantity ot air into the furnace. The mixture then passcsup the annular space surrounding the inutile and in contact with the, interior of the catalytic cylinder 2 which is adapted to be heated to a high teniperature by catalyticI combustion without intlaming the mixture. which is moving at a high velocity through said annular space. l

The annular space between the outside o'i the catalytic cylinder and the inner walls of the furnace, and connecting the top ol" the tube 2 with the out-let 4 near the bulloni ot' the furnace has a sulliciently large cross seetional area so that the velocity of the llo'wllOV ing mixture insuch space is reduced and a llame may be mamtamed therein.

Additional air inlet openings pro-' reversible and the peroxid is decomposed at temperatures above 2000. I have discovered that an admixture of uranium oxid seems to act probably by giving the body more radi ating capacity to keep the temperature of 'the mixture down to the proper range. The

commercial importance ofi my invention is based on the :tact that mixtures of thorium and uranium voxids manifest very pronounced and active catalytic properties, eS- pecially in promoting oxidization when supplied With atmospheric oxygen promoting` and producing chemical interchange of the elements without being permanently' altered. This improved catalytic structure terms the subject matter of a separate pending application for United States Patent, Serial No.

684,636, tiled March 18, 1912; but it makes possible the practical use of the herein dcscribed process *and apparatus.

Having now deseribedpmy invcntioinwhat I claim is,- A

l. The process of burning gas which convsists of producing a tiowing current of combustible gaseous mixture. passing the mixture in contact with a heated catalytic agent without cifecting ignition, thereby heating the catalytic agent and the mixture, confining and directing the liowing current of the mixture While it is being heated and expanded so as to increase the velocity of the flowing mixture, and subsequently burning the same.

2. The|process of burning gaseous "fuel, which consists of producing a flowing current of combustible gas, mixing air with the flowing current of gas, passing the-tiowing mixture in contact with a heated catalytic agent, thereby heating the catalytic agent and the flowing mixture by the partial combustion or the mixture, confining and directing the flowing current of the mixture While it is being heated so that the increased vol ume and energy of the mixture Will increase the velocity of the iiowing current of the mixture, and subsequently burning the mixture.A

T3. The process of burning gaseous fuel which consists of producing a tiowing current of combustible gas, mixing air with the liowing current of gas, passing the flowing mixture in contact with a heated.catalyticI agent, thereby heating the catalytic agent and the flowing mixture by the partial combustion of the mixture, confining and directing the flowing cuirent of the mixture While it is being heated so that the increased volunie and energy of the mixture will increase the velocity of the flowing current of the mixture, introducing an additional quant-ity ot' air to the mixture, and subsequently burning the mixture. i

l. The process of burning gaseous fuel,

which consists of producing a liowingcurrent ot a'eombustible gaseous mixture, passing the mixture in contact with a heated catalytic agent along the path of the flowing current, producing heat by the lanreless combustion of a part of the gaseous mixture in contact with said rst catalytic agen@ and passing the uninllamed mixture to one or moresubsequent. separate distant points, each provided with a catalytic agent for burning successive portions ot' the tiowing mixture.

ln testimony whereof, l have hereunto set my hand this 30tlrdav ot' A\pril. 1919.

CHARLES KNOX HARDIG. llVitnesses C. l". MILLER, J. B. Bonrisrf, Jr. 

